


The Queen and the Knight

by bittersweetrecovery



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, Fluff, Little bit of Fluff, Romance, Royalty AU, Stydia, Stydia Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-20
Updated: 2014-09-20
Packaged: 2018-02-18 01:42:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2330582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bittersweetrecovery/pseuds/bittersweetrecovery
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a kingdom far away, the young and beautiful Queen Lydia rules her people. But when the pressure to marry becomes too overwhelming, Prince Jackson is invited to stay at the castle but he’s not the one to capture the Queen’s attention - a certain young, amber-eyed Knight with cheeks covered in moles does. And thus begins a forbidden love affair.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Queen and the Knight

**Author's Note:**

> For Stydia Week 2. It's hereby 4 in the morning and I'm exhausted. Hope you enjoy.

In a kingdom far away, a young beautiful Queen ruled. The Queen took over the throne after her father; the long lost King, left and gave up the throne when he fell in love with a highborn maiden and her mother passed from a long period of serious illness. Queen Lydia was only sixteen and both of her parents had disappeared from her life. Young and alone, all the things her mother had taught her in her last months on this earth had long since been forgotten in the wake of heavy grief. But even then the Queen became a loved one. She was fair and just, she cared for her people and they adored her but the pressure to marry was overwhelming and a year after she’d taken the throne, a prince was invited to the castle.

“The Prince is nothing but a mere fool,” said Lydia as her lady, Lady Allison, tightened her corset. Rumor had it that the Prince was vain and not particularly clever and Lydia wanted to marry for love, not for politics, as this marriage would be.

“Oh, I’ve heard he’s very handsome,” Lady Allison replied dreamily. Lydia could see her smiling in the tall mirror and Lydia couldn’t help but smile herself. Maybe the Prince would not be as terrible after all; maybe it would be love at first sight. There was always hope, Lydia told herself.

“Well, I have heard that his knights are coming as well. Who knows, perhaps we will find husbands of our own.” It was now Lady Kira’s turn to dream of love and the fairytales the former Queen had read to her daughter and her ladies – they were particularly fond of the fairytales written by a Danish man by the name of Hans Christian Andersen. A surge of longing for her mother’s gentle touch rushed through Lydia and she closed her eyes to capture the memory. Allison squeezed Lydia’s hand as if she knew what was going through her mind.

“Let’s finish up so you can meet the Prince.”

*** 

The Throne Room was big and extravagant in its decorations. Even Lydia who had grown up in the castle was still speechless every time she sat in her throne and gazed around the room with the elegant floors, pompous painted ceilings and beautifully decorated carvings in the walls. This room gave off a sense of power and wellness that not many of her people had which was a deep regret of hers – sometimes it was too easy to forget that not everyone lived the life she did, not everyone had the wealth she did.

Lydia sat in her throne, her three ladies standing off to the side and a dozen guards in case something were to happen – she could not even go outside to the gardens without a guard standing around and it was quite irritating when she just wanted to be alone with her thoughts.

The heavy set of wooden doors opened and a guard standing by the door announced who had arrived.

“His Majesty Prince Jackson and Knights of his Royal Army.” A young man with a remarkable jawline stopped in the middle of his room, his knights standing behind him like a protective shield. Though attractive, it was not the Prince who caught the Queen’s attention but one of his knights. On the far left a boy, no older than the Prince himself, stood with a stone-like expression with moles speckled across his cheeks and neck, his brown hair pointed in multiple directions as if it had been impossible to make it stay down. His brown eyes were fixated on her and though the stare should make her feel slightly uncomfortable because of its intensity, it didn’t. It made her blush and Lydia had to force herself to look at the Prince, not his knight.

“My dear Lady,” the Prince started. Wrong move.

“I am not your Lady. I am a Queen, please address me as such – I’m sure you haven’t forgotten the proper way.” If you were to address Lydia, you were to do it correctly. Lydia noticed the corner of the knight’s mouth turn ever so slightly upward.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Prince Jackson said not a trace of regret in his voice and Lydia realized what it was – in the Prince’s eyes she was beneath him because he was not of the male gender. The notion that men were better than women had never quite been right with Lydia, their difference in anatomy meant nothing in the matter of politics. Lydia was just as clever if not more so than most, men and women alike.

“We will entertain you with a feast tonight in the Great Hall. All of your companions are invited; we’ll look forward to seeing you there. Now let my guards escort you to your chambers, I’m sure you need lots of rest after a long journey like the one you’ve just completed.” The Prince thanked her and his knights bowed – Lydia caught the knight’s eyes lingering on her as he did and winked at her, then he stood and turned to leave. Once his back was turned Lydia let out a deep breath and her ladies came rushing over.

“Well, Your Majesty, I think we were both right,” Lady Allison said with a grin. “Attractive but most definitely foolish. Our Queen is a lady indeed but first she is our Queen.” The girls laughed together and made their way back to Lydia’s chambers where they helped her out of the dress and into her bath to get ready for the feast. The knight’s kind face and intense eyes lingered in her mind as she soaked in her bath – she did not understand why the knight had made the impression on her, he did. She felt like a child on Christmas morning, filled with anticipation as Lydia’s ladies helped her into an extravagant black dress with golden broidery covering the top of the dress. Lady Malia tightened the corset as Lady Allison searched for the perfect set of jewelry to match the dress and the Queen’s red hair. Lady Kira searched high and low for the perfect pair of shoes. It was clear that the ladies wanted to highlight her best assets so she would impress the Prince so that he might ask for her hand in marriage.

***

Waiting for the Prince and his entourage was tremendously nerve-wracking and Lydia kept fiddling with her hands as she always did when she was nervous or anticipating something. Her ladies thought it was because Prince Jackson would be arriving any minute now and Lydia could not bring herself to admit that she could not care less for the Prince. Despite the fact that they had only interacted once, Lydia, who was a good judge of character, could tell that the Prince was conceited, egotistical and disrespectful and these were not things she looked for in a King or a husband for that matter. And Lord, was she right. After arriving half an hour late for the feast hosted solely for him, he proceeded to speak only of himself throughout the evening. Lydia tried to seem interested but the words he said entered her brain but did not stick there and concentrating was not particularly easy when she could feel the knight’s stare all throughout the meal. Not once did his gaze leave her and whenever Lydia gave in and sneaked a glimpse of him, he was smiling as if he knew she would look.

After a while she had to excuse herself from the feast so that she could step outside for a minute. Her ladies stood to accompany her but Lydia told them to stay and enjoy the food, they reluctantly agreed and stayed behind. She stepped into the hallway and leaned against the cold stone wall, she placed a hand on her forehead and kept telling herself to get the knight of her head. She had to marry the Prince even if she didn’t want to be with him and the thought of spending her life beside a man who was everything she didn’t want was unbearable. Salty tears pressed against her eyes threatening to fall over and run down her cheek. She couldn’t stop them before a soft voice broke her chain of rushed thoughts.

“Are you all right, Your Majesty?” She looked up only to meet the knight’s intense yet kind eyes. She immediately straightened her back to make herself seem taller but the knight towered over her, it was of no use – he’d seen the tears she’d shed.

“Yes,” she said simply.

“I’m very sorry for Prince Jackson’s behavior. He was a very spoiled child and he doesn’t seem to know that not everything is about him, especially at a feast even if it’s thrown just for him.” The Queen could not believe her ears. A knight of the Royal Army deliberately spoke ill of his Prince and employer and despite herself Lydia gave a short laugh and was delighted to find that the knight smiled too.

“I’m very sorry but I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced,” said Lydia and moved closer to the boy who could be no older than seventeen. She extended her hand and with a hesitant twitch of his own, the knight shook hers.

“I’m Lydia, Queen of Beacon Hills.”

“Stiles Stilinski, First Knight in the Royal Army, Loyal servant to Prince Jackson.” Lydia smiled privately but the knight caught the smile and sent a wide, more relaxed one back – it made Lydia less tense.

“Stiles. Is that a nickname?” They finally let go of each other’s hands. Lydia gestured for him to walk with her, away from the Great Hall, the feast and Prince Jackson. He fell into step beside her.

“It is,” he said. “I prefer it to my real name.”

“What is your real name?” She asked with a teasing grin painted across her beautiful features.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He teased back and shoved her shoulder lightly with his own. Lydia laughed out loud at the ease of their conversation.

“Yes, I would.” He grinned and pulled her arm slightly so they ended up in a narrow yet private hallway.

“Well,” he said, moving around so they were facing each other with their backs against each their wall. “I’ll tell you if,” he hesitated. He took a step closer, closing the distance between them and Lydia’s breath got caught in her throat. Her heart beat hard against her ribcage, he was close enough for her to touch him but she didn’t dare to. This was wrong and Lydia knew it but Lord, it felt right.

“If what?” She challenged raising an eyebrow. Stiles placed a careful hand on her waist and the tingling sensation she felt under his touch was indescribable. She wanted to look at his hand but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from his – she noticed they weren’t as brown as they seemed from a distance but more amber like the liquor her father used to drink.

“If,” he whispered moving his head so close that she could feel his hot, ragged breath on her skin. “You let me kiss you.” Lydia did not think it through, she simply nodded and Stiles placed his lips on hers. At first the kiss was gentle; caring and tender but as Lydia placed her hands on his chest, he tightened his grip on her waist, the kiss grew urgent and passionate. He pushed her gently against the wall of stone so she wouldn’t hit her head – their hands were everywhere on each other. When they finally parted, they were both out of breath. Lydia gave a short laugh and leaned her head against his chest, he kissed her forehead and though they’d just met, she knew she could spend an eternity feeling like this with him.

“So what’s your name? The real one.” She specified before he could say the nickname. He leaned in close and whispered the name in her ear. Upon hearing it she laughed out loud but slapped her hand over her mouth so they wouldn’t be heard by guards or other staff.

“That’s awful,” she looked up at him, grinning from ear to ear.

“That’s why I go by Stiles.” She stood on her toes and kissed him again. Soft and sweet, then she disappeared around the corner and headed back to the feast on light feet. The knight was left behind with his thoughts. She was a Queen and he was a knight, they could never be together so why did it feel so right?

***

The following weeks where Prince Jackson and his knights were staying at the castle, were spent in dark corners of the castle where the Queen and the Knight could kiss each other’s lips and have secret conversations about everything and nothing. In those short few weeks, Lydia fell in love with the amber-eyed, mole-covered boy – she fell in love with his hands, the way she could feel his touch burning through the fabric of her dresses. She fell in love with the crooked smile and the way he winked at her when others were around. The more time she spent with him, the more she became aware of how little she wanted to marry Prince Jackson and how they could never be together. Royalty marries Royalty – that was the way it had been for a thousand years and the way it was going to continue to be.

“We leave tomorrow,” said Stiles as he held Lydia in his arms. They were in the top tower of the castle, lying on a blanket looking through the window at the clear starry night. The stars had always comforted Lydia when everything seemed lost and she felt alone. She had not yet told her ladies about the secret love affair she was engaging in – they would not approve.

“Not if I ask Prince Jackson to stay.” She turned over so her arms were crossed across his chest and she was facing him. The smile that had been there a minute ago had disappeared.

“You want him to stay?” Hurt was laced in the Knight’s voice. Lydia sat up abruptly.

“No, of course not.” Stiles sat up too. “I want you to stay but you can’t unless he does.” They looked at each other for a long while, as no words seemed to form across the lovers’ lips. Lydia felt goodbye coming and it felt like a knife in her heart, the pain was almost unbearable. She had only just fallen in love and now he was being taken from her against her will and against his – she knew he wanted to stay but his place was in Prince Jackson’s Royal Army, not hers. Stiles leaned over, took her head between his hands and looked deeply into her eyes. Amber meeting green.

“I love you,” he breathed. Then he kissed her forehead and left the tower without looking back. The Queen was left alone and she did not try to hold back the tears. She didn’t know how much time passed before her ladies found her in the tower and helped her to her chambers. She was to send the Prince and his entourage on their way tomorrow but as Lydia lay there in her bed pondering the upcoming day, she got an idea that could change the way kingdoms were run.

*** 

The next day around noon everyone were gathered in the Throne Room where Lydia were to say goodbye to the Prince and her Stiles – her love. It hurt deep in her core to look at him as he wore the cold, indifferent expression that made him a stranger to her but when she stood up, she noticed that his eyes flickered with a hint of recognition and pain. Lydia stood raised above everyone in the room from the podium on which her throne was placed, she waited for silence and as the whispers died down, she gathered the courage she needed to do what came next.

“We’ve gathered here today to send our guests on their way home, back to their own country and countrymen. I rejected Prince Jackson invitation of marriage simply because I knew I could never love him.” Stiles’ indifferent mask dropped and he looked vulnerable.

“I’ve learned that love comes from the people we least expect and most of all, they usually come from people we can never have. During the Prince’s stay I’ve fallen in love. Not with him but with one of his knights,” a wave of gasps sounded throughout the Throne Room. Stiles’ eyed were focused on Lydia, he could not believe the words she said. “Love surprises us, takes us by surprise and this certainly did. I cannot fight what my heart wants so I propose a new law. A Queen or King can marry whomever he or she desires and they do not have to be royalty.” The Throne Room was silent and a chill ran down her back.

“Late last night I went to the Prince’s chambers to ask for one thing and that would be all I ever asked of him. He granted me my wish and if he would accept, I would like Sir Stiles Stilinski, First Knight in the Royal Army to stay behind and marry me.” Whispers spread throughout the room but Lydia could not hear any of it because in that moment only Stiles and Lydia existed in the world. She moved down from the podium as he walked forward more rushed than needed be but he couldn’t stop himself. They met halfway and their lips crashed. The kiss was desperate and filled with all the love she’d grown over the last few weeks and when they broke apart, everyone in the Throne Room clapped their hands and cheered. Lydia only had eyes for Stiles.

“I love you,” he whispered and Lydia knew it was a yes to her proposal.

 

And so, the Queen got her Knight.


End file.
